Favorite Canning and Persevering Books
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Favorite Canning and Preserving Books
There is a lot of beautiful-looking canning and preserving books out there to help inspire you on your preserving journey. But, what books might be a good fit for you?
Below I list our favorite canning and preserving books with a brief description of why I like them, what you will find in the book, and the favorite recipes we tried in the book.
Ball Blue Book Guide To Preserving
This was the first canning book my husband and I purchased when we set out to learn how to can and preserver and it continues to be our favorite canning book. This soft-covered book is around 200 pages and is packed full of information. I like that it is softcovered because I can easily grab it and bring it into the kitchen with me. No big heavy encyclopedia-like book for me.
One of my favorite parts of this book is the “Step-by-Step” pages where they walk you through the entire canning process with nice pictures and descriptions.
I really feel like this Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving gives you all the information you need to learn how to can and preserve. It even explains freezing and dehydrating.
Even though I am familiar with how to can most foods, I continually find myself opening up this book to glance at the food product I am preserving and check to make sure I am right if the item needs to be water-bathed or pressure canned, the recommended time for preserving, and to check the pressure canner weight gage amount for that particular food.
This is the book we look at when we are canning any vegetables or fruits on their own. We really have tried too many of their recipes. If I find a canning recipe on the internet, I will always take a look at the recipe that the Ball Canning Books has for the same thing. I check to make sure that the ingredients are similar and pay attention to anything that might be missing.
My first recommendation when people say that they want to learn to can and preserve food is to get THIS book! And I still stand by that, 100%
Put ‘Em Up!
This was the second canning book that my husband and I purchased and it holds a special place in our hearts. In fact, our originally preserving challenge tracking sheets were titled “The Put’em Up Challenge” because we loved this book so much. For one, I just love the term “put ’em up.” Before this book, we never heard the old-fashioned term of “putting up food” and we were inspired.
This book also has step-by-step instructions on how to preserve different items with nice pictures. It’s one of our favorite canning and preserving books on our shelf.
Put ‘Em Up! is sorted by food items and gives you a few different recipes to make with each produce item. These recipes are a little more unique and have a little twist that you might not be expecting.
Some of our favorite recipes in the book are Peach Salsa, Pickle Relish, Apple Butter, Pickled Beets with Cumin and Cloves. We also made her Pickled Watermelon Rind which was fun but not something we will make every year.
Can It & Ferment It
This is a newer book for us but I really like it. Something unique about this book is that it is sorted by Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. For example, Spring has recipes for rhubarb, strawberries, asparagus, garlic scrapes, dandelions, fiddleheads, and more. These are small-batch recipes, so although you might not be filling your pantry shelves quickly, you can taste the recipe and see if you like it before devoting tons of time to making it.
The pictures are beautiful! I think the recipes are fun and I have never seen another canning book include recipes for fiddlehead ferns. She includes several different fermented food recipes which is something I would like to do more of in the future.
I am looking forward to trying out several recipes from Can It & Ferment It this year.
Amish Canning & Preserving
One of the things that drew our attention to this book was that it included canned soup recipes. Yes, that is something I want to have on my shelves for easy meals. This book also includes pie fillings, ketchup, hot sauce, chili base, pickles, relishes, jam, jellies, and fruit spreads. It has nice pictures and its recipes are simple and easy to understand.
I am including this book but am going to give you a note of caution right off the bat. This book does include a few recipes that are not USDA-approved for canning. I saw a few amazon reviewers mention this and also noticed some things in the book as well. Safe canning is very important but at the same time, many canning recipes have been passed down for generations with no issues. I believe that you should also have a discerning eye when you are looking at recipes (either in a cookbook or online) and do what you are comfortable with.
A note about unsafe canning procedures:
Penn State Extension says this, “Adding flour or other thickening agents to a product for home canning prevents the heat from penetrating to the center of the jar, interfering with safe processing to destroy the bacterial spores that cause botulism. Never add thickening agents to a home-canned product. Wait until you are ready to prepare the food for serving and then add the flour, cornstarch, or other thickening agent you are using.”
That being said, we have made a few of these recipes and had success with them. Seasoned Tomato Juice, Cream of Celery Soup, and Chunky Beef Soup (a little too sweet for our tastes).
Pickles & Preserves
I apologize, I could not find a link to this book. It was published by LOVE FOOD and is an imprint of Parragon Books Ltd. We might have found this book in one of those discount book bins at the grocery store.
Just like the title states, this book is mostly pickles and preserves. If you would like to have more recipes for jams, jellies, marmalades, curds, butter, chutneys, and relishes, this is your book. It does include both sweet and savory recipes.
This is a hard-covered book that feels very down-home and country to me. It has unique jams and jelly recipes but also includes some basics.
There are definitely some fun recipes like Zucchini & Ginger Jam, Passion Fruit Curd, Spiced Pumpkin Chutney, and Pickled Shallots in Balsamic Vinegar.
Home Grown Pantry
I discovered this book last winter when I decided to study more about gardening. Even though I have been gardening for years, I never really researched tips on what to do for specific vegetables. In my book search, I saw this Home Grown Pantry Book and loved it.
What I liked about this book was that it gave you tips on growing the vegetable, the best varieties to grow, and then a recipe of how to preserve this food into a pantry item. There are not a ton of recipes in the book but enough to get you started.
If you are looking for a book that is a mix of gardening tips with food preservation- this is your book.
Canning & Preserving Your Own Harvest (An Encyclopedia of County Living Guide)
The canning section in this book is relatively small and I would not recommend this as a stand-alone beginner book. There are no fancy pictures in this book (just hard-drawn images) but it does go over a wide amount of preserving options including, freezing, canning, drying, root cellaring, and curing.
I like that it includes curing meat, smoking, and some cheesemaking. It also has a nice section on herbs and flowers.
The Encyclopedia of Country Living
I had to include this biggie! This book includes information on EVERYTHING. It does have a small section on food preservation and that is why I included it on this list. It does not contain any specific “recipes” but gives guidelines and answers a lot of FAQ’s.
If you are interested in homesteading, raising animals, gardening, building, delivering a baby, foraging, or just about anything else, this is a great book to have on your shelves. This book is like a google search engine. And when I say that it goes over everything, I mean it. I was surprised when I saw that it had a section on burial.
I think this book is a MUST-Have for any homesteader!
Other Books and Resources to Check Out
USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning
The USDA has its own canning and preserving book. You can view this book free online HERE or can purchase a spiral-bound copy of the book for $19 plus shipping. We have been meaning to order this book for a while but have not done it yet. This is a very cut and dry publication but it gives you everything you need to know.
You can even contact them with any questions you might have.
Preserving with Pomona’s Pectin
I do not have this book, yet, but have heard Jessica from ThreeRiversHomestead talk about it. Jams and jellies are full of sugar, sometimes more sugar than fruit. If you would like to learn more about low – no sugar jams and jellies, Pomona’s pectin can be added and this book will share several recipes on how to use it.
The Farm Girl’s Guide to Preserving the Harvest: How to Can, Freeze, Dehydrate, and Ferment Your Garden’s Goodness
I have followed her blog and Instagram feed for years. She has a ton of knowledge and a fun personality to go along with it. I am looking forward to picking up this book.
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What’s your Favorite Canning and Preserving Book?
I am always looking for good-quality books to add to my collection. Comment below with your favorite preserving books.
Have you printed off your Preserving Challenge Sheets yet?
I would love for you to join the Preserving Challenge too! Subscribe to our e-mail list to get your free forms. If you join us, please share your excitement and successes with us. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Tag @lifeonmistyacres in your posts and use #preservingchallenge2022. I don’t want to miss out on your preserving success!
Here are a few of our favorite preserving recipes: Strawberry Jam and Perfect Pesto. You may also like to read Canning… the Great Mystery and Quickstart Guide to Canning.
Wishing you all a blessed day!
-Lindsay from Life on Misty Acres
